Of all the possible combinations of genres in entertainment—whether it’s in the form of books, graphic novels, or even those pesky, newfangled moving pictures—few work as well as the combination of horror and humor. The line in the brain between the horrific and the hilarious seems to be quite fine, and we love to blur it. From R. L. Stine’s Goosebumps series to Edward Gorey’s illustrations to Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds (though I’m not so sure The Birds was intended to be funny), we love to laugh at things that should disturb us. Enter Stitch Head.

Following in the age-old tradition of the mirthfully macabre, Stitch Head tells the story of a tiny “experiment” (i.e. a reanimated composition of bits of dead people in the vein of Frankenstein’s monster) named Stitch Head, who lives in Castle Grotteskew with his creator, Mad Professor Erasmus, and a host of other monsters. The first of Erasmus’s creations, Stitch Head has grown lonely over the years as the Mad Professor has created more and more experiments. He has also taken on the burden of ensuring the doctor’s creations don’t escape Castle Grotteskew and terrorize the good townsfolk of Grubbers Nubbin. Just as Stitch Head seems resigned to his fate in the shadows, he meets Fulbert Freakfinder, ringmaster of a traveling freak show. Can Fulbert provide Stitch with an opportunity for the attention he’s always craved? Perhaps, but certainly not until Stitch catches up with Mad Professor Erasmus’s latest (and lately escaped) experiment.

With frightfully funny writing from Guy Bass and brilliantly bizarre artwork by Pete Williamson, Stitch Head is sure to be a Halloween hit, great for reluctant readers and horror hounds alike. You can find Stitch Head in Arrow October [Teachers | Parents].

Tags: Book Review, Halloween, Opinion, Seasonal Reads